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2020 Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) > CH 1 - Wine Composition & Chemistry > Flashcards

CH 1 - Wine Composition & Chemistry Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 5 major components of wine?

A

Water, alcohol, acid, sugar, phenolic compounds

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2
Q

Wine is a ______ blend of _______ that give its visual, olfactory and tactile characteristics

A

Complex, Chemicals

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3
Q

Where do many of the chemical compounds found in wine originate from?

A

The grapes. But others are created during the fermentation process through the action of yeast cells

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4
Q

What happens to the compounds over time as a wine ages?

A

The concentrations of some compounds increase as wine ages, while others decrease with time, resulting in a wine’s ever-changing character

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5
Q

What percentage is water in wine?

A

80 - 90%

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6
Q

Where does the water in wine come from?

A

Primarily from the grapes. But small amounts may be added during winemaking

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7
Q

What percentage is alcohol in wine?

A

10 - 15%

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8
Q

What is the primary kind of alcohol found in wine?

A

Ethyl alcohol or ethanol

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9
Q

How is ethanol produced in wine?

A

It is produced during fermentation

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10
Q

What are other types of alcohol that are in wine in smaller amounts?

A

Gylcerol, Methyl Alcohol (methanol), fusel alcohols (fusel oils or higher alcohols)

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11
Q

Ethanol is a volatile compound that evaporates easily. When wine evaporates, what does it do with the wine’s aromas?

A

Carries the wine’s aromas to the nose.

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12
Q

What sensation does alcohol create on the palate?

A

Weight or body

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13
Q

What are “tears” or “legs”?

A

When swirled in the glass, high levels of alcohol result in slow, thick-appearing tears or legs

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14
Q

What percentage of wine’s volume does acid make up?

A

0.5 to 0.75 %

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15
Q

What are the 6 principal acids found in wine?

A

Tartaric acid, Malic acid, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Acetic acid and Succinic acid

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16
Q

What are 4 grape acids (found in grapes)?

A

Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Succinic Acid

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17
Q

What are the 3 fermentation acids?

A

Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid, Succinic Acid

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18
Q

What is the most prevalent acid found in grapes and wine?

A

Tartaric Acid

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19
Q

Which acid has the strongest pH and also forms solid crystals called tartrates or wine diamonds?

A

Tartaric Acid

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20
Q

What is Malic acid?

A

A sharp-tasting acid frequently associated with green apples

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21
Q

Which type of grapes are high in Malic acid?

A

Underripe and cool-climate grapes

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22
Q

Malic acid decreases as grapes ______ on the vine

A

Ripen

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23
Q

Which type of grapes are low in Malic acid?

A

Overripe grapes and grapes grown in hot climates

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24
Q

What winemaking technique can help with high Malic acid?

A

Malolactic fermentation

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25
Q

How is Citric Acid used in wine?

A

It is sometimes added to increase total acidity, but its distinctive citrus flavors make it generally unsuitable for quality wines.

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26
Q

Is Citric Acid considered a normal component of grapes?

A

No, it exists in such minute quantities that specialized equipment is required to measure it. It has no sensory impact on the majority of wines

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27
Q

How is Lactic acid created in wine?

A

It is not found in grapes; it is created by lactic acid bacteria, which converts Malic acid into lactic acid during malolactic fermentation. It is also created in small amounts during primary fermentation

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28
Q

What impact does lactic acid have on wine?

A

It is less intensely acidic than Malic acid, and wines tend to be softer and smoother in mouthfeel

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29
Q

Acetic acid is found in most types of what?

A

Vinegar

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30
Q

When is acetic acid created?

A

A small amount is created during fermentation

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31
Q

Acetic acid in higher concentrations can have what harmful effect on wine?

A

At higher concentrations, a chemical reaction occurs between ethanol and oxygen caused by the harmful bacteria called acetobacter.

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32
Q

What is acetobacter?

A

It is a harmful bacteria that causes a chemical reaction between ethanol and oxygen, which can make a wine unpleasant and undrinkable

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33
Q

What is Succinic acid?

A

It is a minor component of grapes and a by-product of normal alcoholic fermentation

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34
Q

What kind of flavor does Succinic acid have?

A

It has a sharp, slightly bitter and salty flavor

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35
Q

What is Total Acidity (TA)?

A

The volume of all acids in the wine

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36
Q

What is pH in regards to wine?

A

The pH level of wine represents the combined chemical strength of the acids present

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37
Q

What are the typical levels of pH in wine? Which is considered high and low?

A

Wine measures between 2.9 (stronger) and 3.9 (less acidic)

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38
Q

How much sugar do grapes normally contain?

A

Contain 15 - 28% at harvest

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39
Q

What are the 2 sugars found in grapes at harvest?

A

Glucose, Fructose

40
Q

Glucose and Fructose are highly fermentable ________ commonly known as _____ _____

A

Monosacharides, simple sugars

41
Q

What is the process for converting sugar into alcohol?

A

During fermentation, yeast converts these sugars into ethanol, turning grape juice into wine. If yeast is able to finish its job, the wine will be fermented to dryness

42
Q

Wines that have less sugar than a person can taste as are described as?

A

Dry

43
Q

What are the levels of sweetness in wine?

A

Off-dry (medium-dry), medium sweet or sweet

44
Q

A small amount of sweetness can be added to balance what in wine?

A

To balance high acidity

45
Q

What phenolic compound give red wine its color?

A

Anthocyanins

46
Q

What is the color range for Antocyanins?

A

From blue, to purple, to red

47
Q

The _____ acidic wines appear ______ in hue

A

More, redder

48
Q

The _____ acidic wines appear _____ in hue

A

Less, bluer

49
Q

What phenolic compound gives the yellow pigments to white wines?

A

Flavonals

50
Q

White wines from sunnier climates have a more ______ color than white wines from cooler climates

A

Golden

51
Q

What phenolic compound is found in the skins, seeds and stems of the grapes?

A

Tannins

52
Q

Where else are tannins found?

A

In oak and oak barrels

53
Q

What sensations does tannins create in the mouth?

A

They create the textural, drying sensation in the mouth

54
Q

What phenolic compound is found in oak?

A

Vanillin

55
Q

What phenolic compound has beneficial health effects in humans?

A

Reservatrol

56
Q

Where are the majority of phenolic compounds concentrated?

A

In the skin and seeds

57
Q

Why are red wines richer in phenolic compounds?

A

Because red wines are fermented in contact with the grape seeds and skins

58
Q

Which phenolic compounds polymerize or combine into longer molecule chains that become too heavy to stay suspended in the liquid and drop to the bottom as sediment?

A

Tannins and pigments

59
Q

The production in wine has what effect on the wine?

A

The wine is lighter in color and less astringent

60
Q

What are oxidized alcohols called that form when wine is exposed to air?

A

Aldehydes

61
Q

Which wines are made in an oxidized manner?

A

Sherry and Medeira

62
Q

What is the term when a wine has been encouraged to develop aldehydes?

A

Maderized

63
Q

What is the most common form of aldehyde found in wine?

A

Acetaldehyde

64
Q

What form of alcohol has been oxidized when acetaldehyde is created?

A

Ethanol

65
Q

What type of wine does Acetaldehyde give its distinctive aroma to?

A

Sherries

66
Q

What compound is molecules that result from the joining of an acid and an alcohol?

A

Esters

67
Q

What is one of the most common Esters found in wine?

A

Ethyl acetate

68
Q

What acid and alcohol combine in creating the ester Ethyl acetate?

A

Acetic acid and Ethanol

69
Q

At low concentrations, what aromas does Ethyl acetate impart on wine? At high concentrations?

A

Fruity, flowery aroma; faulty aromas of nail polish remover, varnish or glue

70
Q

What dissolved gas promotes the chemical reaction called oxidation?

A

Oxygen

71
Q

What gets added during the winemaking process in order to absorb free oxygen molecules?

A

Sulfur

72
Q

What dissolved gas is also found in wine and is a natural by-product of fermentation?

A

Carbon dioxide

73
Q

What chemical compound is added to wine to keep them stable after fermentation?

A

Sulfites

74
Q

What chemical is also a natural byproduct of fermentation and found in minute quantities?

A

Sulfur

75
Q

In the US, if a wine contains more than _____ ppm of sulfur dioxide, a label saying “Contains Sulfites” is required

A

10

76
Q

Highly volatile acid, often found in vingegar

A

Acetic acid

77
Q

Main type of potable alcohol in wine

A

Ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol)

78
Q

An acid that tastes like green apples

A

Malic acid

79
Q

Most prevalent acid found in both grapes and wine

A

Tartaric acid

80
Q

Another term for tartrates

A

Wine diamonds (tartaric acid crystals)

81
Q

Conditions that can lead to a drop in malic acid

A

Warm/hot climate
The ripening phase
Over-ripe grapes
Malolactic Fermentation

82
Q

Acid not found in grapes, but often produced during secondary fermentation (mlf)

A

Lactic acid

83
Q

Acid that is both a minor component of grapes, and a by-product of normal alcoholic fermentation

A

Succinic acid

84
Q

Typical range of pH for most wines

A

2.9 to 3,9

85
Q

Two main fermentable sugars found in grapes

A

Glucose and fructose

86
Q

Sugar remaining in a wine post-fermentation

A

Residual sugar

87
Q

Compounds that give red wine its color

A

Anthocyanins

88
Q

Yellow pigments found in white wines

A

Flavonols (flavones)

89
Q

Sources of tannin

A

Seeds, skins, and stems of grapes

Oak barrels / other oak products

90
Q

Compound found in red wine known for health benefits

A

Resveratrol

91
Q

What is meant by “polymerization”

A

When molecules (such as tannins) combine into longer molecule chains

92
Q

Oxidized alcohols

A

Aldehydes

93
Q

Molecules that result from the joining of an acid and an alcohol

A

Esters

94
Q

Chemical reactions resulting from dissolved oxygen

A

Oxidation

95
Q

In the US, wines containing more than ____ ppm of sulfur dioxide must carry a warning label

A

10

2020 Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) (23 decks)

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